Lawyer jailed for calling for women wearing ripped jeans to be raped

A prominent conservative Egyptian lawyer has been jailed for calling for the rape of women wearing ripped jeans during a televised panel discussion.

A prominent conservative Egyptian lawyer has been jailed for calling for the rape of women wearing ripped jeans during a televised panel discussion.

Nabih al-Wahsh said during a debate on a draft law on prostitution that women who wore revealing clothing "were inviting men to harass them".

"Are you happy when you see a girl walking down the street with half of her behind showing?" he asked.

"I say that when a girl walks about like that, it is a patriotic duty to sexually harass her and a national duty to rape her," Wahsh said.

He added that "protecting morals" was "more important than protecting borders".

Charges were brought against Wahsh by the prosecutor following a public outcry.

The National Council for Women's Rights condemned his comments, calling them a "flagrant call" for rape and violated "everything in the Eypgtian constitution".

They have also lodged a complaint with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation about the broadcast, which was aired on October 19.

Wahsh has also previously declared himself a proud anti-semite and dismissed the Holocaust as "imaginary".

"If I see any Israeli, I will kill him," he said during a previous TV panel discussion.

The controversial lawyer was also involved in a TV studio brawl with a cleric in October last year. Wahsh took exception to the cleric suggesting that women do not necessarily need to wear a headscarf.

Wahsh has received a three-year prison term as well as a 20 000 Egyptian pound fine (around R15 000).